KARACHI: The Sindh government has finally restored the powers of nazims of local bodies pertaining to lease and transfer of land and property by withdrawing previous notifications under which lease and transfer of land was banned and later it was made conditional with provincial local government minister’s approval.

According to official sources, the provincial local government department had withdrawn its previous two notifications last Thursday.

The development came after Dubai talks held between two major coalition partners of Sindh, the Pakistan People’s Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Sources said that besides making a demand for restoration of nazims’ powers of lease and transfer of land the MQM representatives had also demanded continuation of local government system and allocation of provincial local government ministry to a MQM minister.

MQM had strongly opposed the government’s decision of depriving nazims from powers of lease and transfer of land and property. Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had first imposed a complete ban on it in July this year. Later, after the MQM’s resistance their powers were partially restored in September by allowing them to lease and transfer after obtaining prior permission from the Sindh Local Government Minster Agha Siraj Durani.

Core Committee of the two parties had approved amendments in the Sindh chief minister’s order of imposing ban on lease and transfer of land at a meeting held in September authorising the provincial local government minister for giving approval.

It is pertinent to mention here that the matter had been turned into a serious dispute between both the coalition partners. City Nazim Mustafa Kamal had also filed a petition in the Sindh High Court against the chief minister’s order. However, later it was withdrawn under some assurances given by the PPP leadership.